Alexandre Lacazette and Antoine Griezmann to take centre stage for Arsenal and Atletico Madrid

Matt Jones - Editor 19:59 25/04/2018
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  • It may not be the European tournament either side feel they should be in the last four of – Marseille take on Red Bull Salzburg in the other tie – but Arsenal v Atletico Madrid is definitely the glamour fixture of the Europa League semi-finals.

    Madrid will feel particularly aggrieved at not being in the latter stages of the Champions League, having featured in two of the last four finals, while Arsenal are here due to their failure to qualify for Europe’s top table for the first time in 21 years under Arsene Wenger last term.

    Ahead of the first leg, we look at some intriguing battles on both sides of the ball.

    ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE V ANTOINE GRIEZMANN

    2504 key battles Lacazette v Griezmann

    It’s been a patchy debut season in England for a man who has been one of the most coveted strikers in Europe for the last few years.

    Fifteen goals from 35 games isn’t horrible, but it’s hardly been a highlight reel either for a deadly finisher who plundered 22, 31, 23 and 37 goals respectively in his last four seasons with Lyon.

    But the 26-year-old Frenchman is quietly coming into a little bit of form in recent weeks, netting six times in his last six games in all competitions, including two goals from just three shots on goal in two Europa League games. He previously scored once in 14 games over a three-month span from December to February.

    He’s firing at the right time for the Gunners, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ineligible for the Europa League. Lacazette has thus far been playing the role of support act to the Gabon goal-getter, but the stage is set for him to become Arsenal’s leading man.

    Lacazette’s compatriot Griezmann, meanwhile, is making a habit of picking up the scoring pace in the new year – his first 30 games this season yielded 11 goals; he has hit 18 in the subsequent 20.

    The 27-year-old is continuously linked with a summer move to Barcelona and, if he does depart, he could do so with his best-ever season tally for Los Rojiblancos as a parting gift. Griezmann has netted 26 times in 42 games in all competitions for Atleti this season – already matching his total from a year ago, in which he played 53 games.

    His best tally in the red and white shirt is 32 from 54 games in the 2015/16 campaign.

    Built on the bedrock of one of Europe’s best defences and with a combative, creative midfield unit able to adapt to any situation – yet in Griezmann they possess a marksman of true precision that can pierce any defence.

    AARON RAMSEY V SAUL NIGUEZ

    2504 key battles Ramsey v Niguez

    Don’t be fooled by Arsenal’s woeful season as a collective, Welshman Ramsey is working wonders individually and is a huge reason why their campaign is not headed for total disaster.

    The 27-year-old is enjoying a fine season and is on course for personal bests in both goals and assists, despite being stationed in a more withdrawn defensive midfield role for club, in opposition to the No10 offensive lynchpin role he occupies for Wales.

    Ramsey has bagged 11 goals for the Gunners in 2017/18, from just 27 games, four of which have been scored in his last three games. He is only five away from his best season tally of 16 in 34 that he mustered in an incredible 2013/14.

    He also has eight assists, one less than the nine he managed, again in that memorable campaign five years ago.

    He is notably Arsenal’s top scorer in a competition they have scored a leading 29 times in. Ramsey has four goals in four games – including super strikes at the San Siro in the last 16 against Milan and a stunning back-heeled finish as part of a brace against CSKA Moscow.

    On the other side of the ball will be Saul, who is Atletico’s joint-top scorer in the Europa League this season, alongside Griezmann. The 23-year-old has been an ever-present for Madrid this season, finding the back of the net in the last 16 clash with Copenhagen and the quarter-final 8-1 rout of Lokomotiv Moscow.

    Saul is considered one of Europe’s most complete midfielders, someone equally adept sitting at the base of midfield and acting as either destroyer or creator; he can play wide and add width and invention despite not being blessed with tremendous pace and he can conduct play and score goals when unleashed further forward.

    Has been linked with Thursday’s opponents in recent weeks, but the Real Madrid academy graduate is happily settled in the city and is tied to Wanda Metropolitano club until 2026, where he has a mammoth release clause of £130million.

    SHKODRAN MUSTAFI V DIEGO GODIN

    2504 key battles Mustafi v Godin

    Diego Simeone fielded a three-man defence in a drab 0-0 draw against Real Betis last time out in La Liga and hinted he may do the same again in London, with his side suffering a mild crisis of confidence.

    Uruguayan stalwart Diego Godin watched on as his side drew a blank in Monday’s 0-0 draw, albeit with a host of fellow regulars rested – but there is certainly more than some suggestion that Arsenal face Godin and Co at the right time, with a side that prides itself on a stern defence in a poor run of form, winning just one of their last five.

    Away from the Wanda Metropolitano, Atleti have lost their past four matches on the road and most recently went down 3-0 to Real Sociedad in La Liga. In Europe, Atletico have won only four of their past 14 away leg UEFA semi-final matches.

    This season in the Europa League, however, they have been pretty much classic Atletico Madrid, conceding just three goals in six matches and rocketing in 15 goals – although they did lose the second leg of their quarter-final, 1-0 against Sporting Lisbon. They have the second best defensive record in the competition after Red Star Belgrade.

    The Gunners also run a much tighter ship in Europe, conceding an average of 0.83 goals per game in the Europa League, yet they have conceded just one goal less than 17th-place Swansea in the Premier League.

    There’s often a sense of vulnerability in the defence, with German international Mustafi hardly a stable presence alongside the more stoic Laurent Koscielny.

    Mustafi, at £35m, is the most expensive Arsenal defender in history, yet he continues to make basic and high-profile errors, two years after joining from Valencia.

    His defending for Newcastle’s equaliser in the recent 2-1 defeat is a clear indicator that rather than alleviate their defensive fragilities, he is only adding to Arsenal’s chronic defensive at the back.

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